David Mattson is CEO of Sandler Training, located in Owings Mills. Sandler Training is a leader in business development and sales training, which has been successfully implemented since the establishment of the Sandler Selling System when the company started in the 1960’s. As company CEO, Mattson brings valued skills and talent to the company in continuing its mission.

(Photo Courtesy of David Mattson)

Mattson graduated with an international business degree from the University of Connecticut. He has been in this field of business since 1986.

What are the responsibilities of your current role?

“Currently I am CEO, primarily responsible for revenue and success. I have teams that are in charge of national and international development, employee development, product development and overall marketing and sales. My job is to make sure those teams are well equipped and have everything they need in order to be successful. In reality, I am the corporate ambassador, overall team leader and an assortment of other roles that a CEO holds.”

What is your favorite part about your daily duties?

“My favorite part of my daily duties is probably sales. When I participate on a sales call and/or interact with customers, that is probably the best part. The second thing is problem solving. If there is a particular issue, I like to jump in and solve problems.”

How has your education and training prepared you for your current role?

“My education was helpful to expose me to different ways of thinking and different cultures. As I went into Sandler, I spent time in Europe doing training for Sandler in addition to coaching our franchisees, but most importantly, the thing that helped me was to spend time in the field with clients.”

What do you do to continue your education and training?

“I participate at each and every Train the Trainer event. Sandler has training programs three times a year that we provide to our franchisees, along with regional meetings. These programs are designed to sharpen the skills of the trainers and give them new information. I also make sure that I thread constantly throughout the month of the publications that will help me with what’s going on internationally, what’s happening as far as economically and in the learning and development field, what are the trends coming down the field.”

What advice do you have for others looking to enter this field?

“I would suggest that you spend three to seven years dedicating yourself to learn everything there is to know about the business. I think most individuals feel like they’re at the peak of their knowledge somewhere long before year seven, but if you were to dedicate yourself to over 10,000 hours in your field, then you will be the best of the best. So, for anyone that’s looking to get into the field, dedicate yourself to become the expert, and people will ultimately pay you for what you know.”

Laura Catherine Hermoza has a lifelong love for writing. In addition to serving as a contributor to various media publications, she is also a published novelist of several books and works as a proofreader/editor. LC resides in Baltimore County.